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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. cell — a phone
  3. net — in sport
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. key — the most important part
  6. roll — a cake
  7. key — in music
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — to crush
  10. charge — electricity
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. roll — a list
  14. cell — in biology
  15. net — for catching
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. tube — a container
  21. charge — a price
  22. key — for a lock
  23. charge — in control
  24. squash — the sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com